Into the Darkness
by Rachel Riddle-Malfoy
Summary: Sequel to BE AFRAID. Rachel and Draco's adventures in parenthood. What happens when Rachel decides it's all too much? Rated M just in case.
1. Chapter 1

Prologue

Annabelle Drucilla Malfoy was born September first. Alexander Thomas was born June fifteenth. They are beautiful children. Draco says that Anna is a carbon copy of me with her dark hair and green eyes, while I see a mini version of Draco in Alex. It's been very interesting having two small children in the manor, but father has been kind enough to give us some time off from our duties to raise the babies. Everyone here just loves them. They are the most spoiled children in the world.

Perhaps I should update you on the happenings since the final battle and all. Father is the Minister of Magic, but there are still some that resist the way. Harry Potter is still out there with the Order of the Phoenix. They turn up every once in a while, but always end up running away. I should explain. Every wizard has to be registered with my father's government. Their history is checked and given a qualification. Only purebloods are allowed full use of magic. Half-bloods may only do rudimentary spells and cannot interact with the purebloods (unless they join the cause). Mudbloods are closely monitored and may not use magic or join the community. The Order of the Phoenix has tried to stop these registries because they believe that all wizards should be able to use magic, but magic is dying because wizards are mating with muggles. We have to preserve magic at all costs. Hogwarts is open again as well, but there have been a few minor changes. Muggle Studies has been replaced by History of Bloodlines and Their Importance. Dark magic is openly taught, and mudbloods are not allowed. Many teachers have been replaced. Draco's aunt Bella teaches Dark Arts, Patsy Bullstrode is teaching Transfiguration, and they've done away with useless things like Divination and Care of Magical Creatures. Draco and I elected to finish our schooling at home which hasn't been terrible. It's not a cakewalk either with tutors like the Carrow brothers and Lucius. Snape comes to the manor as well to give us potions lessons. As soon as our formal schooling is over we will begin lessons with Daddy to learn the business. I'm not sure that will be much better than now. I've got to go. The babies are finally asleep and Draco is waiting for me to be ready for the meeting tonight. I'm not sure what it is about, but when Father calls we know to come as soon as we can. He's lenient because he adores his grandchildren, but he's never been one to wait patiently.


	2. Whatever Daddy Wants

**A/N – Hey all! I'm trying really hard to get this written, but life has given me a lot to deal with right now. I am trying to get my life into boxes (again) so I can move to Texas in the fall. Mom and Dad are not happy about this decision….reviews would make me feel better! K thx!**

**DISCLAMER: I do NOT own Draco or anything else you recognize. **

Chapter 1 ~ Whatever Daddy Wants

My father has been getting his was for as long as I can remember. Tonight was no different when Anna came running in to find me after climbing out of her bed. Anna is a smart girl. She's almost two now and can walk and talk eloquently – most of the time. This was not one of those times. She'd had a nightmare and wanted her mother. It's my own fault for not putting the wards on the kids' rooms. Anyway, Anna interrupted the meeting and angered my father.

"Mommy!" I cringed when I saw the door burst open and heard my daughter's voice.

_Father is not going to be happy about this._ I thought as Anna attached herself to my leg.

"Take care of this Annabelle and come to my office later," I could tell by the tone of Daddy's voice that he was upset and he never called me by my middle name unless I was in trouble. No one ever interrupted a Death Eater meeting without being punished.

"Yes Father," I said emotionlessly as I picked up the crying toddler buried in my black robes. I glanced at Draco before I left. His eyes looked as worried as I felt. We had discussed giving the children pureblood etiquette lessons, but never got around to actually doing it. A pureblood child is rarely seen and never heard. Anna just broke the number one rule and I would be punished for not teaching it to her. When I got back to Anna's room, I sat in the over-sized rocking chair. "What's the matter love?" I asked her.

"I…had a… nightmare. Daddy… was sad… and I couldn't… find… you," she said between breaths.

"Anna, I will always be around when you need me," I said, "but you can't go running into meetings like that. It makes Grandfather very angry."

"I don't want Grandfather to be angry with me," she said finally calming down.

"I don't want him to be angry either so this is what we're going to do," I picked up one of Anna's favorite stuffed animals and charmed it. "I put a spell on this dragon."

"A spell?"

"All you have to do is squeeze real tight and think of me and I'll know that I need to come to you as quick as I can."

"Really?"

"Really Really, but you have to remember Annabelle, sometimes Mommy and Daddy go on missions for Grandfather and can't come immediately. You have to be patient like a good girl," I said sternly.

"Yes Mommy," she said yawning. I got up from the rocker and put her back into bed. She was asleep before I even tucked the covers around her. I kissed her forehead and turned around. I was surprised to see Draco in the doorway.

"What did she see this time?" he asked.

"Not much. She said you were sad and she couldn't find me."

"Not a lot to go on then," he had come to stand beside me.

"I have to go see Father," I said looking at him.

"We have to tell him," Draco said as he put his arm around me

"We'll be punished either way," I replied laying my head on his shoulder.

"But he won't kill us if he knows she isn't doing it on purpose."

"Maybe."

"Rae, I'm not going to watch you be Crucioed again."

"Then don't come. We have to figure out just how reliable this power of hers is and if it can be used in our favor," I said as I walked out the door.

"I have to come. I'm to be punished as well. She's my daughter too," he said catching up to me.

"Lovely." _At least I'll have some company in my misery._

We made our way to Daddy's office in silence. When we were outside the door I took a breath and knocked.

"Enter," hissed my father. Draco pushed open the door and stepped aside for me to enter. I stood before my father back straight, head down, waiting for my punishment to be handed to me. "Sit." This surprised me. No one ever had a chat in this office. I admit I was a little relieved as I took the chair that was offered. "It seems you've been lacking when it comes to teaching the children proper manners."

"It won't happen again Father," I said.

"The issue has been taken care of then?" he asked.

"Yes Father."

"Very well then, we will negotiate your punishment." I do believe that I am the only one to ever be able to negotiate anything with my father. It's the one good thing I have going for me here.

"Sir, if I may, I don't think it is Rachel's fault that Anna was out of line," Draco interjected.

"Draco, you try my patience," my father said harshly.

"We think Anna is having visions Sir. Sometimes they scare her. What she sees can be horrid," Draco said quickly.

"Why is this the first I have heard of this?"

"We wanted to be sure. She's only ever saw Draco and I. It might just be nightmares because of our line of work," I said somberly.

"You will both monitor her closely and notify me of any developments."

"Yes Father"

"Yes Sir."

"Now, Draco, you will learn- no one is exempt from punishment. The reason doesn't matter," father said as he stood.

"Yes sir," Draco rose as well.

"You will give Rachel her punishment." I bowed my head. Anna's vision was going to come true right now. I just hoped I wouldn't be out too long.

"Sir?" I could tell Draco was unsure of Father's motives, but they were clear to me. Draco's punishment was to punish me.

"You will punish Rachel. I believe the Cruciatus curse will do." I shivered as father gave the order. "And Draco," he looked at father, "do _not_ hold back." Draco was utterly defeated.

I kissed his cheek and whispered, "It'll be fine." I stood back and said, "Do it." He hesitated.

"Draco…" my father said cruelly.

"Crucio." I clamped my mouth shut to keep from screaming, but my face gave me away. I'd had my fair share of curses in the past, but this was double agony. To see the pain in Draco's eyes as well as feel the curse. I was on my knees in a second.

"I want to hear her scream Draco. She needs to learn." My father was enjoying this a bit too much for my liking. He'd been getting crueler and crueler since taking power. Draco wavered, but slashed his wand a bit harder. Daddy always gets what he wants. The last thing I heard before blacking out was my own blood-curdling scream.

DRACO'S POV

Voldemort know how to get to people. He was punishing us for not scaring our children enough, her by the curse and I by the cursing. There are few things in this world that I care for more than myself. My family is one of those things. They say Malfoys are incapable of love, but the truth is that Malfoys love the most. Malfoy women are treated with upmost respect. This punishment hurt me to my core. I tried to let my thoughts wander as I cursed my wife. She was a fighter, that's for sure. Rae wouldn't be one to satisfy her father with a scream.

"I want to hear her scream Draco. She needs to learn." _Damn him_. I hesitated for a moment before slashing my wand just a bit harder. She screamed. How I loathed the sound. "That will be all for tonight I think." The Dark Lord's voice snapped me out of my thoughts. "Take her away."

_Things are going to change when I am the leader._ I thought as I picked up Rachel's twitching body. _This was not the kind of rule we signed up for._

REGULAR POV

Draco took Rachel back to their rooms and put her in a spare bedroom. The last thing Anna or Alex needed was to see their mother in the state she was in. He cared for her as best he could. Contrary to popular belief Malfoys were not wife-beaters. Draco was absolutely disgusted with was he was made to do and would spend the rest of his life trying to make up for it. He locked the door to the room as he went to check on his sleeping children. Anna's vision had been right. Again.

**A/N: Okay! First chapter is in the books. My characters are evolving in their thinking so please just bare with me for a while. It will all make sense soon. I have a few plot twists and terns in the mix that, hopefully, everyone will like. Adiós a los lectores hermosas.**


	3. Too Much

**A/N: I'm so sorry I've been gone for so long. A ton has happened since I posted last. My parents practically disowned me, I moved to a new city, and I've realized that I'm never going to get what I want from the person I moved here for. I haven't really felt like writing for a long time, so don't expect this chapter to be as stellar as the rest. I've lost my inspiration but I fully intend to finish what I've started here. Please bear with me as I try to get through the rest of this year.**

CHAPTER 2 ~ Too Much

"Where Mama?" Draco flinched as Alex asked for the third time in a week about his mother.

"Mama had to go away, but she'll be back soon," _I hope_ he thought as he reassured his child.

"Miss Mama."

"I miss her too son."

"She's hurt right?" another voice asked from the doorway.

"Why would you think that Love?" asked Draco

"Because you're only ever sad when one of us gets hurt," Anna came to sit by her father and brother.

"You are far too clever for your own good Anna." Draco said shaking his head.

"I think she's going to wake up soon. Can we go see her?" she asked.

"We'll see her tomorrow then. Bedtime now," Draco stood finalizing his command.

"But I'm not tired," Anna yawned as she headed to her room.

Draco tucked his children into their beds and went to the spare room that held his other love. He sighed as he unlocked the door. Rachel was in the same place she'd been a week ago. She'd been unconscious for a week with little change, but Anna had said she would wake up so Draco was hopeful. He crossed the room to the chair by Rachel's bed and took her hand like every other night. "Come back to me, love. I'm so so sorry," he whispered. Then he kissed her forehead and watched her breath. She seemed to be getting stronger but he wouldn't know for sure the damage he'd done with the curse until she woke up.

The Dark Lord had not called another meeting since that night. He too seemed worried about his daughter. She was, after all, the heir to the empire since Alex was nowhere near ready to rule. Draco was left with his thoughts throughout the night, but they kept circling around one idea. Was keeping the muggles at bay really worth the lunacy the Dark Lord was bringing to the world? It was getting to be too much.

Draco decided that night that his children would not be brought up in a world where the people they loved were tortured in front of their very eyes. They deserved better. When Rachel was well enough, Draco would take the family far away from the life they knew. He'd need help, though it pained him to admit. He was going to have to contact his childhood enemy. He needed the help of the Order of the Phoenix to make things right. He needed the help of the person he loathed and envied. He needed the help of one, Harry Potter.

The question remained in many Death Eaters' minds: Where had Potter gone? And for that matter, what was the Order planning? The best place to start for Draco would be Hogwarts. Perhaps one of the elves there could relay a message to set up a meeting. He would need to work quickly. Anna's feelings were almost as accurate as her visions. Rachel needed to get better, but not so much that her father would start requiring their presence again. With his mind firmly made up, Draco stood. He would go to Hogwarts tonight and plead his case to his former house elf Dobby.

Though this would be a hit to his pride, the elf was in Potter's good graces and thought very highly of Albus Dumbledore. Draco was nearly certain that the elves at Hogwarts were reporting the happenings to the Order. Voldemort, himself, had discontinued meetings there after a dozen or so foiled missions. Draco walked back to the master bedroom to find his broom. He needed to fly so that his magic was not easily traced. His journey would take most of the night. By morning, he hoped, he would have a solid plan or at least a meeting with the Golden Boy.

Hogwarts had been mostly rebuilt after the Death Eater takeover. Many of the secret passageways had been blocked during the rebuild to prevent unwanted visitors. Draco was grateful that the passage from Hogsmeade had not been discovered. He himself discovered it in his second year, but told none of his classmates. It was always good, he reasoned, to have an escape plan if things went badly.

He slipped into the castle undetected and made his way to the entrance without incident. He looked around once more before tickling the pear to gain access. Once inside he looked around for his target. Once the elves would bend over backwards to greet their guests. Now they merely regarded Draco with extreme caution. Finally he spotted the freed elf. "Oi, Dobby, could I please have a word?" he asked trying not to sound harsh.

Dobby turned at the sound of his name and his big eyes became even larger when he saw how was calling him out. "Dobby will not say anything! Harry Potter is Dobby's friend!" It was clear that Dobby had been questioned endlessly in the beginning before the Death Eaters got comfortable with the new rule.

"I don't want you to tell me about Potter. I'm asking if you will give him a message for me. Don't tell me you don't know where he is. If you do this for me, Dobby, I'll give you my socks," Draco hated the pleading sound in his voice, but he knew that Dobby was the best chance he had at finding any member of the Order- especially Harry Potter.

The elf regarded his former master for a minute before saying, "What kind of message?"

"Just tell him that the Dark Lord has crossed a line that even I do not like. I want to get my children away from his madness. I can help the Order of the Phoenix. I was part of the inner circle. I know nearly all of the plans. Please will you ask him to meet me? Tell him I'll go anywhere he chooses," Draco had taken the first step, now all he could do was hope that the little elf before him would decide to help.

It is a little known fact that house elves are extremely compassionate, especially when it comes to children. Dobby had seen the girl the Death Eaters referred to as Little Lady and her father, his former master, was standing in front of him pleading for a better life for her and the Riddle/Malfoy heir. They were only children. If the father was willing to change, then maybe the Darkness would end with the current tyrant. "Dobby will give Young Master's message to Harry Potter."


End file.
